


they have stolen the heart from inside you

by llien



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Heartache, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-13 22:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16901175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llien/pseuds/llien
Summary: Sora saw Aqua, and there was a deep, heart wrenching cry. It felt like agony, heartbreak, relief, anger, all at once, a tumultuous storm that sent Sora reeling and stumbling. He grasped at his jacket over his heart, chest heaving, eyes burning because he didn't dare blink.He'd never met her. He knew that. The fall of her hair, the color of her eyes, the clothes she wore — all of it was unfamiliar to him.But there was this childlike wish, this simple, shameless desire to throw himself into her arms, to curl against her and feel like he was home after ages spent away. He missed her. Somewhere deep inside was an aching loneliness and he wanted nothing more than for her to rifle his hair and fondly call his name.





	they have stolen the heart from inside you

**Author's Note:**

> All of us are gunning for Moana to be in kh3 even though we know it's unlikely, and then good pal Matt said "te ka heart scene but with Aqua" and ohhhhhhh oh that hurt me. 
> 
> In a way, I thought Riku should be the one, but I want Sora to reach his hand out and offer her sanctuary, just as Aqua once asked him to do for Riku. Aqua is so selfless and kind, and so so sad, and I want someone to sacrifice for her as much as she has for others.

Sora stepped onto the sand, immediately adjusting to the shifting nature from age-old habit. A little like riding a bike, Sora thought, lips quirking into a smile. It was a relatively small high island, so it had taken a bit of venturing to find the sandy beach versus all the basaltic rock edging the perimeter. It was almost as large as their play island, another cheering thought.

The heavy humid air, salt-scented breeze, and constant humming and shifting of tree leaves with ocean waves coming, going, coming was more soothing than Sora realized. In a way, he was probably always a little homesick.

There were other islands scattered around, and Sora thought with some effort he could actually swim the length, though a raft would be preferable. That was probably where the others were, since Sora had woken up in a meadow alone. 

Walking the length of the thin sandy beach, he saw in the distance a hint of pale color beneath the ocean, and, squinting, he realized it was actually a narrow path of land not quite submerged. He could walk to the end of that, then swim the rest of the length to the other island. With that thought in mind, he made his way down the shifting terrain to the path.

A few scrapes, trips, and more sand in his shoes and clothes than he thought possible, Sora finally had rounded enough of the beach to approach the path.

The sun was high in the sky, blinding Sora momentarily when he glanced at it, and then a flash of gleaming metal caught his eye, and he glanced at the path.

There, at the end with back towards him, was a person.

He hesitated, body going tense.

Walking more quietly now, he stopped at the head of the path, staring. Slowly, confusion took over, and he stood straight. His heart was hammering before the recognition hit. He must've made a sound, because she turned, hair rifling around her face with the wind before settling around honey gold eyes.

He knew, somehow, that this was her. 

_Her._

The one he'd been searching for, waiting for.

Sora saw Aqua, and there was a deep, heart wrenching cry. It felt like agony, heartbreak, relief, anger, all at once, a tumultuous storm that sent Sora reeling and stumbling. He grasped at his jacket over his heart, chest heaving, eyes burning because he didn't dare blink.

He'd never met her. He knew that. The fall of her hair, the color of her eyes, the clothes she wore — all of it was unfamiliar to him.

But there was this childlike wish, this simple, shameless desire to throw himself into her arms, to curl against her and feel like he was home after ages spent away. He missed her. Somewhere deep inside was an aching loneliness and he wanted nothing more than for her to rifle his hair and fondly call his name.

Tears spilled over his cheeks, one splattering on his knuckles and surprising him. He lifted his other hand to wipe them away, but they wouldn't stop.

"Huh?" Sora asked, willing a smile to his face. "I don't..."

Aqua watched him, not curious, not kind, but with a level-headed neutrality that hurt him.

Why did she matter to him, this stranger with golden eyes? 

In this island so similar to home it hurt to be there, Sora met Aqua across a span of water as blue as the sky, aching to hold his hand out to her. 

Struggling past the lump in his throat, Sora tried once, twice, three times, and on the fourth bit back hard on his jaw to quell the trembling before finally managing the words, "You're Aqua, right?"

She watched him, and it unnerved Sora with the instinctive hair raising caution it demanded from him. Sora had learned to recognize kindness, sympathy, understanding in friends, and cruelty, insincerity, deceit in enemies. Aqua watched him like she already distrusted him, as if she was merely waiting for his true colors to show.

His fist curled in tighter, a fine tremble starting in his shoulders. 

She stepped closer. The distance between them was enough that the wind could've obscured his words, and he doubted for a moment that she heard him, but then she spoke. The sound of her voice felt like cold fingers curling around his ribs, gripping too tight.

"Yes," she said. There was a certain sway to her walk, as if she'd lived years cloaked in confidence, but had never lost her sensibility. "You look familiar, but I can't place..."

"I'm—"

He paused, breath short.

"I'm—"

Again. He frowned, bringing the hand that had been trying to stay his tears to his mouth. 

She was frowning, just a little, brows drawn together and head knocking to the side, as if staring hard enough at him would jog her memory. Recognition bloomed in her eyes and the disquiet in his chest settled, soothed.

"You're Sora, aren't you?"

The fingers crept closer, wrapping around his spine. "Yes," he choked out.

"I remember you," she said, with such fond remembrance that it made him want to cry. "You were so small. Has it really been that many years?"

He nodded.

"And your friend?" Aqua pressed forward, moving closer. Her heavily lashed eyes swept down, to the side, hesitating, before meeting his again, "Did he fall?"

Friend? Γ Ξ Я  ?

"Riku?" His voice said instead.

"Yes, that was his name. The one who'd inherited the keyblade. Are you still friends?"

"Yeah," he heard, mind still stuck on how disconnected he felt. "He had a hard time, but he's back now and stronger than ever. He's a master now!"

_Who?_

Aqua looked genuinely relived, smile blooming on her face. It almost felt like the whole world grew just that much brighter. Her hands hovered over her heart. "I'm so happy to hear that," she said, voice soft and quiet. Aqua always shied away from being emotionally open. He thought it had something to do with how much of her heart she always shared. "You kept your promise," she continued, almost awed. "I thought you might have forgotten."

"I think I did," the words carried on the air, almost lost to his own ears. "At least, until you mentioned it right now I didn't remember. But I always knew I had to help Riku. I looked for him everywhere, and now he's right beside me. Well," a small laugh, "not exactly, but our hearts are connected."

"Your hearts are connected," Aqua murmured, glancing down. She let one hand fall open, and there was a flash of blue cradled there. "I'd almost forgotten..."

She drifted off into uncharacteristic silence, eyes lost. 

"Aqua?"

"Hmm?" She tilted her head up, smiling. 

"Are you... are you okay? What are you doing here?" The question was punctured with a wide, sweeping gesture towards the islands and ocean. "I thought you were in the Realm of Darkness."

"Oh," Aqua laughed, short and sweet, hand falling to her side and jealously caging whatever she held from view.  _"That_ place. I waited, you know." She shifted, turning to the side to look out at the ocean. The wind pulled on her hair, tugging it away from her face. There was a look in her eyes that couldn't be named.... so familiar.... so sad a look. 

"I waited so long. I surprised myself, even. Looking back, I wonder why? Who was I waiting for? No one was coming. No one ever came. No one remembered me." There was no tears in her voice, or sadness, or even anger.

Just mind-numbing, apathetic acceptance.

"What are you talking about?" Disbelief and pain laced the words. "I remembered you! Even now, I keep remembering you, and  _it hurts._  It hurts so much, and I don't know why. You were never forgotten. Aqua, we've been looking for you!"

She turned forwards again, and for a brief moment there was a flash of something. It wasn't until the expression was gone that he recognized it:  _want._

"You were too late," she said, shaking her head. "You were too late, and now there's nothing to look for or to remember anymore."

She was backing away, eyes flashing with anger and hate and resentment. "Do you know how long I waited? How much time passed? I thought I'd lose my mind before I was finally found. It was better," she seethed.

 _Don't say it,_ he thought.

"Better now," she curled her hands into fists.

_No, don't say it, please Aqua._

"Better to have lost my heart than to have stayed  _waiting_ for friends who never came!"

"That's not true!" He shouted, the raw intensity of his words searing his throat as they left, and —quietly, almost lost in his heartache, was the sound of glass shattering. "Aqua, I never stopped thinking about you and Terra, never! Not a single day went by." He stumbled forward, reached for her hands even as she resisted, glaring at him.

"Please, Aqua, they've stolen your heart from inside you. You can't let them. You can't give up!" He pleaded, wishing her wrists didn't feel so thin, her form so small even as she stood taller than him. Everything about her screamed aching loneliness.

"Why?" She demanded, shaking her head. "For what? So I can be a victim again? So I can try and try to wait and be strong and help  _Terra,_ help  _Ventus?_ For what?" Her voice died down, fury banking from wildfire to coals blistering red, but calm. "I can't. Please, don't ask me to."

"Aqua, I'm here." He brought her shaking hand to his heart, giving her a smile as he peered up towards her bowed face. "It's me, Aqua."

She refused to look, pulling against his grip but not hard enough to dislodge it, still unbearably kind even in her anger and fear.

"Come on, look at me, Aqua," he stepped closer. "It's me. Ven."

She froze, and he watched her flicking gold eyes grow wide. As if fighting against the tide, she turned to stare at him. Her lips moved, but he couldn't hear anything. Still, he waited.

Again, once, twice, and then on the fourth try, "Ven?"

His smile widened into a grin, and he nodded. "Yeah! It's me. I've been looking for you this whole time." 

"Ven," she whispered, and this time, when she pulled on her hands, he let go. Instead of backing away she reached up, cupping his face. "Is it really you?"

He held her hand against his cheek, knowing it was shaking, but unashamed in his relief. "Yeah," his voice broke. He cleared his throat, tried again, "Yeah."

And, for one long unbroken blissful moment, her eyes were blue and his were too, and they were together, having found their way to each other.

But then the storm clouds came and like lightning, Aqua's expression shuttered, collapsed, and broke apart to reveal that wistful acceptance. "Ven, I missed you."

Heart hammering, he held onto her touch, begging that it wouldn't be broken. "I missed you too, Aqua."

_Don't say it._

"But, I'm sorry Ven."

_No, not when I've finally found you._

"I can't come back."

Her hand shifted and covered his eyes with agonizing tenderness, and then she pulled away. He realized only when the sunlight glistened, translucent before him, what she'd done.

"Aqua, no!"

She smiled. "I really am happy Ven," she said, holding her wayfinder to her chest. "I really, really am."

Darkness swelled like hot air, shimmering behind her like heatwaves before coalescing and reaching towards her. He beat his hands against the barrier, but he knew them as well as he knew his own abilities. It would only break once she decided to let go.

The sunlight flared in his eyes, throwing rainbow prisms across his vision and her darkening frame, and the last he saw was the blue glint of her wayfinder.

Ven cradled his face in his hands, wishing that for once he could've been successful. But, like always, he was just a disappointment and a failure.

His apology was swallowed by his wet palms and the crashing waves. 

**Author's Note:**

> I took some liberties with the setting, since I didn't want to get into the Ocean Friend shenanigans.
> 
> I think a lot about how much of Aqua's trust was broken. How much time has she spent in darkness, alone and wondering and waiting? Aqua sacrificed herself and so much time passed... what insidious doubts took root? What anger, resentment, hurt, hatred, overtook her? Was she relieved, when she finally stopped waiting? Was she hurt, as she realized they never came? Aqua, the master of light who'd excelled in protecting others, had been abandoned, and she fell to darkness... how can you convince someone who's spent a decade forgotten and abandoned that she was actually beloved?
> 
> Her story is just so sad. There's little things worse than your trust in someone being broken.


End file.
